Lafayette, Carencro Men Arrested in Massive LDWF Drunk Boating Crackdown
LAFAYETTE, La. — The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries arrested 13 boaters statewide for allegedly operating a vessel while intoxicated during Operation Dry Water weekend, a three-day enforcement push that ran from Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5.
LDWF partnered with the U.S. Coast Guard and Louisiana State Police for the operation. Agents also responded to four non-fatal boating incidents statewide over the same three days.
Several Arrests Touch Acadiana Directly
A handful of the arrests hit close to home for Acadiana. Maddox Moncla, 20, of Lafayette, was arrested on July 3 on False River in Pointe Coupee Parish. Dylan Inzina, 20, of Franklin, was arrested July 4 on the Atchafalaya River in St. Martin Parish.
Nicholas Parton, 46, of Carencro, was arrested the same day on Henderson Lake, also in St. Martin Parish, a popular Atchafalaya Basin destination for anglers and swamp tours out of the Lafayette area. Aaron Meyers, 21, of Plaquemine, was arrested on Bayou Plaquemine in Iberville Parish, and Dylan Nunez, 34, of Kaplan, was arrested on Indian Creek in Rapides Parish.
Full List of Arrests
LDWF released the names of all 13 boaters arrested during the enforcement weekend.
On Friday, July 3, agents arrested Maddox Moncla, 20, of Lafayette, on False River in Pointe Coupee Parish; Raymond Schneller, 47, of Baton Rouge, on the Diversion Canal in Livingston Parish; Dyllon Lindsey, 34, of Baton Rouge, on the Amite River in Livingston Parish; Hayden D. Navarre, 20, of Mamou, on Toledo Bend in Sabine Parish; Chad M. Willis, 52, also of Mamou, on Toledo Bend in Sabine Parish; and Peyton J. Sinclair, 18, of Deville, on Larto Lake in Catahoula Parish.
On Saturday, July 4, agents arrested Dylan Inzina, 20, of Franklin, on the Atchafalaya River in St. Martin Parish; Samuel G. Dagostino Jr., 43, of Baton Rouge, on False River in Pointe Coupee Parish; Aaron Meyers, 21, of Plaquemine, on Bayou Plaquemine in Iberville Parish; Nicholas Parton, 46, of Carencro, on Henderson Lake in St. Martin Parish; Hesley Forthman, 23, of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, on the Tickfaw River in Livingston Parish; Brandon Victory, 34, of El Dorado, Arkansas, on Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish; and Dylan Nunez, 34, of Kaplan, on Indian Creek in Rapides Parish.
LDWF’s news release did not include arrests from July 5, the final day of the enforcement weekend.
What a Boating DWI Means for Drivers and Boaters
Louisiana treats a DWI on the water the same as one behind the wheel of a car. A first offense carries a fine of $300 to $1,000 and up to six months in jail, and a conviction results in the loss of both driving and boating privileges for a period set by the judge in the case. Every DWI, whether it happens on a road or a waterway, counts toward a person’s total number of DWI offenses in Louisiana.
Reckless operation of a vessel carries a fine of up to $200 and up to 90 days in jail. A hit-and-run boating incident without a fatality or serious injury carries a fine of up to $500 and a sentence ranging from 10 days to six months.
The Numbers Behind Operation Dry Water
This year’s 13 statewide arrests mark a drop from 2025, when LDWF reported 19 boating DWI arrests during the same weekend. Alcohol remains a leading factor in fatal boating accidents both in Louisiana and nationwide. Between 2020 and 2024, Louisiana recorded 96 recreational boating fatalities, and alcohol was a contributing factor in 21 of them, or roughly 22%.
Operation Dry Water began in 2009 through the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, and LDWF has taken part every year since. Nationwide last year, more than 7,000 officers from 451 agencies participated, leading to 201 boating DWI arrests across the country.
More on Boating Safety...
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Gallery Credit: Joe Cunningham
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